What is the PlayStation Vita?
May 11, 2004. This day means nothing to most people. You likely won’t remember exactly what you were doing on this day, or even what you did that week. However, this is the day that Sony entered the portable gaming market with the suitably named PSP (PlayStation Portable). With less than a week to go before the successor to the PSP, the PS Vita, goes on sale Worldwide, we give you a run down of the systems specs, launch games and more.
The PS Vita will support the now standard social apps, such as Facebook, twitter, Skype and foursquare as well as boasting support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as standard, with the added option of 3G support for the ultimate portable gaming experience. With a HUGE, crystal clear, 5-inch OLED multi-touch screen, dual analogue sticks and a rear touch pad you can expect to find yourself fully immersed in your gaming experience from the moment you hit the power button.
Before we delve deeper in to the system, take a look at this official trailer at E3.
PlayStation Vita Features
Design & Display
Though the PlayStation Vita resembles the PSP in looks, those are where the similarities end. The new system sports a beautifully clear 5-inch OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, 24-bit color with a respectable 960 × 540 qHD resolution and a pixel density of 220 ppi. The console itself, though measuring in at a large 182 x 84 x 19 mm in size, fits comfortably in the hands, thanks to its curved sides. Own an iPhone? Well, your phone will fit perfectly in the space which the screen occupies. Yes, it’s huge.
The Controls
The system packs the same controls as the original PSP, however, then adds a hell of a lot more. There are now two analogue sticks, as well as a D-pad. The right and left trigger buttons are present on the shoulders of the device as well as your standard Start and Select buttons.
However, after the formalities the PlayStation Vita comes in to its own; the multi-touch capacitive touchscreen allows the user to be more involved in their gaming; need Drake to climb a wall? Show him the way with your finger. The device also boasts a touch pad on the rear of the device, which works similarly to how they work on a laptop. However, gamers are at the mercy of the developers when it comes to utilizing these innovative pieces of hardware.
Other Notable Features
- Keep Connected – The PS Vita allows you to chat with friends will watching a video of playing a multi-player game.
- Not for TV – Unlike its predecessor, the PS Vita will not support video output; it will also feature an internal rechargeable battery, rather than a removable one.
- Heavy Duty – According to Sony, the battery will last for 3-5 hours of gameplay, 5 hours of video watching and 9 hours of listening to your favorite tunes (while the screen is off).
- Do You Remember? – The PS Vita will have a storage media slot, compatible with NVG* memory cards ranging from 4GB to 32GB in size.
- Motion Sickness – The PS Vita will make use a sixaxis controller; 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope. It also hosts a 3-axis compass with integrated GPS and connectivity options such as 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
- I Know That Face – The PlayStation Vita has both front and back cameras, as well as face detection and head tracking which can be used to personalize the device.
- Anything You Can Do – The PS Vita will be completely backwards compatible with any titles available for the PSP on the PS Store.
The Geeky Stuff
- CPU: ARM® Cortex™- A9 core (4 core)
- GPU: SGX543MP4+
- External Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth)
(tentative, excludes largest projection) - Screen (Touch Screen): 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
- Rear Touch Pad: Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
- Cameras: Front camera, Rear camera
- Sound: Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
- Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope,
three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass - Location: Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support
- Keys / Switches: PS button, Power button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Shoulder buttons (Right/Left), Right stick, Left stick, START button, SELECT button, Volume buttons (+/-)
- Wireless Communications: Mobile network connectivity (3G), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi)(Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode), Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
PlayStation Vita Pricing & Availability
The PlayStation Vita is available in 2 prices; $249 (Wi-Fi only) and $299 (3G & Wi-Fi). These prices have been confirmed by Sony. The PlayStation Vita is released Worldwide on 2/22/2012, though it has been available in Japan and some other parts of Asia since 12/17/2011.
Sony announced that the PS Vita would launch with 26 titles, with 100 more to come in an unconfirmed time period. One of the hotly anticipated games is the Uncharted title in which we see Drake return in a pocket sized, but packed with excitement, version of the Worldwide hit. Watch Drake in action on the PlayStation Vita in HD, below.
The cheapest place we have found the PlayStation Vita is Amazon, so head on over there for a great deal. They even have a pre-release price guarantee, so if you pre-order now and they drop their price before the release of the system, you pay that lowered price.
Pre-order/Order PlayStation Vita – 3G/Wi-Fi
This PlayStation Vita comes with WiFi + AT&T 3G.
Pre-order/Order PlayStation Vita – Wi-Fi
This PlayStation Vita comes with Wi-Fi.
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